George leads Indiana to hard-fought win over Utah

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Paul George scored 20 points and Lance Stephenson added 15 to lead Indiana to a 95-86 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night at EnergySolutions Arena.

Derrick Favors led the Jazz with 22 points.

The Pacers owned a tenuous 79-76 lead with just over six minutes left when C.J. Watson buried a deep jumper. It triggered a 9-0 run that enabled the Pacers to ice their victory, which bumped their record to 17-2.

The Jazz, seeking their fourth win in five games, started quickly.

After Roy Hibbert made their first shot, the Pacers went nine possessions without scoring a point. The Jazz built a 12-2 lead. It was still 17-7 before Luis Scola came off the bench, scored four quick points and helped Indiana close the gap.

Utah owned a 23-17 heading into the second quarter, which the Jazz dominated until the final two minutes, when the Pacers again fought back.

Stephenson scored 13 points for the Pacers, who closed on a 10-2 run. Utah managed only two free throws from its final six possessions and took a 48-47 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter, Favors picked up his fourth foul with 3:50 remaining. The Pacers followed with seven straight points and took an 68-63, but Kanter made back-to-back jumpers and Utah stopped Indiana's final four possessions to make it 68-67.

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